Bile Reflux Surgery

[Mary724]

I had my gall bladder removed and had no side effects until two weeks afterward.  I started getting a horrid sour taste in my mouth.  I was told to take prevacid twice a day and a zantac 150 before I went to bed. Bed is elevated.  I started feeling better but still had bouts of the sour taste and have stomach pain for weeks/months at a time.  The doc said of course it is bile reflux.  I've had all the tests, tubes down my throat overnight to measure swallow, how high the reflux goes (up to my throat), everything. The doc said I need to have the surgery where they wrap my stomach around my esophagus to tighten it to keep the reflux down.  I read that that surgery is fine for acid reflux but not as effective for bile reflux and that for bile reflux you would need that surgery (diversion surgery) that makes the bile flow lower into the digestive tract so it isn't irritating your stomach.  I have put off any surgeries because I'm afraid the wrap surgery won't work.  My doctor is a top surgeon for reflux but not the other surgery.  I just don't know what to do.  I have had this for several years now and am SO sick of feeling sick.  The diversion surgery is one that people with weight problems get.  The mortality rate I hear is not good.  Not sure what I should do.  I'm getting desperate though.  Oh and my doc said I have gastritis which I am assuming is chronic as my stomach seems to hurt more often than not.  He never really looked the last time he said I had it but he has seen it before in tests done a year or so ago.

[CalGal]

The typical treatment for bile reflux is to 're-route' the common bile duct via the type of surgery you're describing for 'weight loss.'  

Unless you're convinced that you also have acid reflux, I'm not convinced that it's a great operation to have when the problem is due to bile. The gastritis could be due to the damage from bile - you need to check the records of all of your tests and make sure what's going on.

You may want to talk to people who have actually had gastric surgery for weight loss. A lot of them do very, very well and are extremely happy. Yes, there are some things you have to watch, but it can be a decent surgery in the face of bile reflux that can't be kept under control. As far as the mortality rate, I'm not sure where you heard it was bad. Do some double-checking, I don't believe that is correct.

If your doc specializes in fundoplication, find a doc who specializes in gastric/bile issues and talk with them. Your going to get a biased view from both of them, but at least you'll have another opinion.

I assume you've been watching your fat intake and have already tried the use of some bile-binding resins like questran..............

[CalGal]

P.S. And Mary, when you talk about surgeries for bile problems, don't let the docs steer your toward the Bilroth type of surgery if possible. Learn all about the different types. The Bilroth I and II have some rather serious consequences compared to some of the others.

[LittleMissy3]

I'd like to know more about this re-route surgery too.  I was just diagnosed with bile reflux after being nauseous for years.  Not sure what is causing it, or what to do about it either. My doctor says he hasn't seen much success with this surgery I guess.